Tom Holmoe Repeating Past Mistakes

For 11 seasons Bronco Mendenhall has operating in an environment where every word he said, every move he made, and every scowl he made was compared to a hypothetical first-choice hire of Kyle Whittingham. Holmoe failed to keep the interview process confidential and when it became known that the job had been offered to KW first, and only to Bronco when KW turned it down, Bronco spent the rest of his time at BYU as the second-choice coach in the mind of a vocal segment of the fan base.



And now we are there again--BYU has publicly whiffed on their first choice, and now whoever follows Bronco Mendenhall will also follow, and be compared to, a hypothetical Ken Niumatalolo BYU team. Granted, part of this is Ken's fault--I think he never wanted the BYU job and only interviewed to leverage more out of Navy, hence his agent spilling the beans to the media at every possible turn that "Ken is going to interview after the Navy game", "Ken is traveling to BYU on Monday", "Here's Kens' flight number if you want to take a photo of him arriving at SLC", "Ken is thinking hard and will make his decision Wednesday". Those are the disclosures of someone wanting to drum up a fan-base response from Navy fans, not someone looking to land a job in Provo.



With all that, TH has stepped in the same dookie he did 11 years ago, and now the next coach gets to deal with the unwinnable comparison to a hypothetical that didn't happen.

Not saying that you're wrong or that I disagree, but how exactly do you keep a search like this one quiet? Everyone knows you're looking and there are very few viable candidates, and the other schools' AD is commenting left and right about it. It just doesn't seem like it would be possible the keep it mum.

Schmoe wrote:
Not saying that you're wrong or that I disagree, but how exactly do you keep a search like this one quiet? Everyone knows you're looking and there are very few viable candidates, and the other schools' AD is commenting left and right about it. It just doesn't seem like it would be possible the keep it mum.

Yeah as far as I know not a single word had been spoken by TH or even BYU really. I'm not sure how Tom could be more discreet. He's not walking around in airports with team gear on.



It seems like the only verifiable mistake TH made was setting his sights high.



I also think Bronco is compared to Kwitt because Kwitt coaches at Utah. If he'd left to coach at navy we would only hear about him about once every three years.



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TH having anything to do with KN declining the job is hogwash. Perhaps his O history didn't meld well with BYU's current QB situation, or recruiting background or salary/etc. offered. Let the situation play out before throwing jabs and barbs like mistakes have been made. We will know when we know.

TH just needed to say at the start that he would interview a few candidates and then make a choice.

For the record, Whittingham had a lower winning % than Bronco (before and after moving to the PAC 12) and he didn't have the restrictions Bronco did. So this idea that Whittingham would have done so much better, aside from the rivalry game, doesn't seem to be based on much.



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Schmoe wrote:
Not saying that you're wrong or that I disagree, but how exactly do you keep a search like this one quiet? Everyone knows you're looking and there are very few viable candidates,

Easy--at the guaging interest stage where you are reaching out to candidates and their agents to see if there is any interest, you send across a one-page confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement for them to sign where they agree not to divulge that conversations or negotiations are ongoing until either they are hired or the position is otherwise filled. If they don't want to sign a simple NDA, the hunt ends there and the most anyone can say is that BYU reached out and the candidate wasn't interested in BYU's process. Saves BYU a lot of headache and prevents negotiating through the media. It's a standard step in the process of most negotiations, especially multi-million dollar negotiations.

and the other schools' AD is commenting left and right about it. It just doesn't seem like it would be possible the keep it mum.

Navy's AD only commented on the situation when he was asked about Niumatalolo's agent's comments. If Niumatalolo and his agent keep their mouths shut, the AD never says boo, especially with their big rivalry game coming up. Navy's AD was pissed that he had to address it, but it was because his hand was forced by Niumatalolo's agent.

snoscythe wrote:
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Navy's AD only commented on the situation when he was asked about Niumatalolo's agent's comments. If Niumatalolo and his agent keep their mouths shut, the AD never says boo, especially with their big rivalry game coming up. Navy's AD was pissed that he had to address it, but it was because his hand was forced by Niumatalolo's agent.

Wasn't he responding to KN telling his team that he was going to interview?

We are assuming a lot...that Niumatolo was actually TH's first choice. TH said in an interview he was going to do due diligence. I have not seen anything that says Ken was definitely offered the position. Sure, his agent wants to make it look like he was, so that he can leverage that against Navy, which he did. But I don't know that either side was that serious about the other. The BOT probably wanted Ken interviewed, but I am sure the triple option would have been a no go. So, TH may have either given him a conditional offer (drop the triple option), knowing full well that Ken is married to it and would never drop it...with triple option guys, like with forward pass guys, they feel it is the only way to play football...or he may have not extended an offer at all. I think TH's true first choice is probably KWhitt, and he won't talk about it until after the bowl game...at which time he will probably reject the offer again. If that is the repeating the past mistake, then I can agree that TH is putting way too much stock in KWhitt coming to BYU...unless he actually does come which would be a fantastic gut punch to the Ute crowd. But he's not coming...unless he is. ;)

One thing that is different is that both Kyle and Bronco had never been a head coach before. Yes, they offered Kyle first. He strongly wanted, and knew he wanted, to be a head coach. If you remember, Bronco wanted first to be loyal, and therefore had been interviewed in the first pass, but had thrown out no indication he wanted to be the head guy because he perceived acting that way as being disloyal. Criticize the man all you want, but he thought first to be noble, even though most of us would agree that it would not have been disloyal for him to have made it know instantly that he wanted to be a head coach.



It therefore made sense to pursue the guy that wanted to be a HC. Once KW whiffed on the offer, then CBM realized that it wasn't disloyal for him to want the job of HC and he stood up to the plate. There is nothing I've ever noted in the media that would have led me to believe that had CBM stood forward in the first place, that it might not have been him that was offered the first shot at the position. That is how I recall it went down.



I'm not convinced that KN came to interview only to make more Benjamins. Generally speaking, and now this is coming from my perspective of being a member most of my adulthood, I believe he came because of respect and at the same time interest. I don't believe he came to Provo with a firm decision having been made. Nothing out there convinces me of that. I don't believe it is wrong for KN to turn down the opportunity.



In total honesty I dislike KW much more for turning down BYU than KN turning down BYU. KW was a freaking alumni of the Y. KN's only connection to BYU is that he's LDS and therefore annually sustains members of the BOT of BYU and he currently has a son enrolled there. That's a way different connection and I have no problem with his rejection of the offer or TH making it so. I don't believe for one moment that TH EVER leaked anything that KN was coming to town. It was KN's agent and the Navy's AD that made KN's trip to Provo such a circus event.

snoscythe wrote:

and the other schools' AD is commenting left and right about it. It just doesn't seem like it would be possible the keep it mum.

Navy's AD only commented on the situation when he was asked about Niumatalolo's agent's comments. If Niumatalolo and his agent keep their mouths shut, the AD never says boo, especially with their big rivalry game coming up. Navy's AD was pissed that he had to address it, but it was because his hand was forced by Niumatalolo's agent.

I don't believe TH would have commented as did Navy's AD, even if there were comments out there from a coach's agent. IMO Navy's AD should have simply said "no comment" and left it at that.

Cougarfan87 wrote:
But he's not coming...unless he is. ;)

:lol:

I dunno. For me, Ken N seemed like the glaringly obvious choice as frontrunner for the job. If we didn't land him, it would appear as a whiff, whether the media talked about the specifics or not.

It's been confirmed by at least 2 sources that there was a job offer extended to Ken N. I'm glad at least one side realized this was a bad fit from jump. Wish it would have been BYU, but it wasn't.



The only mistake Holmoe made was saying he would make the hire on his own. No one at BYU does anything on their own, especially with something this high profile.



Right now, I'm fine waiting until Jan or Feb to see if we can get Bevell. Everyone available is very underwhelming. Hope all the Bronco haters are happy.

stuckinbig10country wrote:



The only mistake Holmoe made was saying he would make the hire on his own. No one at BYU does anything on their own, especially with something this high profile.

I see it as TH making sure noone else gets the heat if anything goes wrong. I agree that it is not a solo action, but TH is making sure the others (BoTs?) get no blowback. Tough position to take, but I admire him for it.

TH is just saying he's leading the process. It's like my boss saying she's in charge of finding the next employee.



TH mistake was starting the process before the bowl game. He started out on a crusade for a new coach while the players have a battle on the home front. Very distracting. Bronco and his crew are off picking houses out in Virginia. TH is searching for the holy grail. The players see and know all of this. Who's taking care of them? I will be surprised if the team wins Sat.



TH should have said he will begin the search after the bowl game. That the immediate focus was on the players and ensuring they were ready to compete on Sat. A new head coach would come later. If he wanted to go privately put some feelers out, fine. But running it up a flag pole is distracting and sends the wrong message to the player.



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snoscythe wrote:
For 11 seasons Bronco Mendenhall has operating in an environment where every word he said, every move he made, and every scowl he made was compared to a hypothetical first-choice hire of Kyle Whittingham. Holmoe failed to keep the interview process confidential and when it became known that the job had been offered to KW first, and only to Bronco when KW turned it down, Bronco spent the rest of his time at BYU as the second-choice coach in the mind of a vocal segment of the fan base.



And now we are there again--BYU has publicly whiffed on their first choice, and now whoever follows Bronco Mendenhall will also follow, and be compared to, a hypothetical Ken Niumatalolo BYU team. Granted, part of this is Ken's fault--I think he never wanted the BYU job and only interviewed to leverage more out of Navy, hence his agent spilling the beans to the media at every possible turn that "Ken is going to interview after the Navy game", "Ken is traveling to BYU on Monday", "Here's Kens' flight number if you want to take a photo of him arriving at SLC", "Ken is thinking hard and will make his decision Wednesday". Those are the disclosures of someone wanting to drum up a fan-base response from Navy fans, not someone looking to land a job in Provo.



With all that, TH has stepped in the same dookie he did 11 years ago, and now the next coach gets to deal with the unwinnable comparison to a hypothetical that didn't happen.

The comparisons of Bronco vs. Whittingham have absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Kwhitt was offered the BYU job first and that became public knowledge. It has everything to do with the fact that he is the coach at Utah. Had everything transpired in a clandestine manner, Bronco still would be compared to Kwhitt. The coach at BYU will always be compared to the coach at Utah for better or worse.



And the new coach at BYU isn't going to be compared to Ken N as long as he is at Navy. Ken N will be irrelevant to BYU fans in pretty short order unless we start playing him on a regular basis. Meanwhile, the comparisons to Kwhitt will continue for Sitake or whomever coaches for us.

Gunk wrote:

TH mistake was starting the process before the bowl game. He started out on a crusade for a new coach while the players have a battle on the home front. Very distracting. Bronco and his crew are off picking houses out in Virginia. TH is searching for the holy grail. The players see and know all of this. Who's taking care of them? I will be surprised if the team wins Sat.



TH should have said he will begin the search after the bowl game. That the immediate focus was on the players and ensuring they were ready to compete on Sat. A new head coach would come later. If he wanted to go privately put some feelers out, fine. But running it up a flag pole is distracting and sends the wrong message to the player.



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I don't know that I agree. You start filling a position the minute it becomes available so that you have the most options. I can't imagine the heat TH would have faced if he had made such a statement that he was allowing CBM to coach the LVB and would not begin an active search until that game is over. They'd have rode him out of town on a rail.



I believe things are progressing as would be normal with all the correlating issues. The problem is you can't break wind these days without someone not be out there covering it and reporting the composition of the associated gasses. The reports from CougarBoard amaze me as there is near nothing in this process that doesn't have a major battle to keep out of the media/fan focus. We used to look down at the paparazzi, but we Cougar fans (and the rest of the world fandoms) have become similar in action to those hiding in bushes and riding on motorcycles trying to see who is in the car with whomever.

EM_Puma wrote:

TH mistake was starting the process before the bowl game. He started out on a crusade for a new coach while the players have a battle on the home front. Very distracting. Bronco and his crew are off picking houses out in Virginia. TH is searching for the holy grail. The players see and know all of this. Who's taking care of them? I will be surprised if the team wins Sat.



TH should have said he will begin the search after the bowl game. That the immediate focus was on the players and ensuring they were ready to compete on Sat. A new head coach would come later. If he wanted to go privately put some feelers out, fine. But running it up a flag pole is distracting and sends the wrong message to the player.



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I don't know that I agree. You start filling a position the minute it becomes available so that you have the most options. I can't imagine the heat TH would have faced if he had made such a statement that he was allowing CBM to coach the LVB and would not begin an active search until that game is over. They'd have rode him out of town on a rail.



I believe things are progressing as would be normal with all the correlating issues. The problem is you can't break wind these days without someone not be out there covering it and reporting the composition of the associated gasses. The reports from CougarBoard amaze me as there is near nothing in this process that doesn't have a major battle to keep out of the media/fan focus. We used to look down at the paparazzi, but we Cougar fans (and the rest of the world fandoms) have become similar in action to those hiding in bushes and riding on motorcycles trying to see who is in the car with whomever.

If I was TH's PR guy, the statement would have been, " Our primary focus is on the players and ensuring they are prepared as possible to play Utah." Done.



Only an idiot fan would be mad at such a statement. In the mean time if TH made a phone call here and there, fine. But jetting Navy's coach out a week before the bowl game was dumb, dumb, dumb. Players are people too and speculate as much as we do, if not more. Instead of a team focused as much as possible on Utah, our QB starts flirting with ideas of transferring should Ken be hired. Our WRs wonder if they prefer blocking over catching the football, and our OL starts doubting if they can pick up a new blocking scheme. Very poor judgment.



Yes, we live in a hyper news environment. Which is why if you don't want news to come out, you don't start it.



As much as the fans may grumble about "inaction" they will grumble more should we lose Saturday. Football is about winning games and TH did not optimize for winning on Sat.



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Gunk wrote:

Gunk wrote:

TH mistake was starting the process before the bowl game. He started out on a crusade for a new coach while the players have a battle on the home front. Very distracting. Bronco and his crew are off picking houses out in Virginia. TH is searching for the holy grail. The players see and know all of this. Who's taking care of them? I will be surprised if the team wins Sat.



TH should have said he will begin the search after the bowl game. That the immediate focus was on the players and ensuring they were ready to compete on Sat. A new head coach would come later. If he wanted to go privately put some feelers out, fine. But running it up a flag pole is distracting and sends the wrong message to the player.



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I don't know that I agree. You start filling a position the minute it becomes available so that you have the most options. I can't imagine the heat TH would have faced if he had made such a statement that he was allowing CBM to coach the LVB and would not begin an active search until that game is over. They'd have rode him out of town on a rail.



I believe things are progressing as would be normal with all the correlating issues. The problem is you can't break wind these days without someone not be out there covering it and reporting the composition of the associated gasses. The reports from CougarBoard amaze me as there is near nothing in this process that doesn't have a major battle to keep out of the media/fan focus. We used to look down at the paparazzi, but we Cougar fans (and the rest of the world fandoms) have become similar in action to those hiding in bushes and riding on motorcycles trying to see who is in the car with whomever.

If I was TH's PR guy, the statement would have been, " Our primary focus is on the players and ensuring they are prepared as possible to play Utah." Done.



Only an idiot fan would be mad at such a statement. In the mean time if TH made a phone call here and there, fine. But jetting Navy's coach out a week before the bowl game was dumb, dumb, dumb. Players are people too and speculate as much as we do, if not more. Instead of a team focused as much as possible on Utah, our QB starts flirting with ideas of transferring should Ken be hired. Our WRs wonder if they prefer blocking over catching the football, and our OL starts doubting if they can pick up a new blocking scheme. Very poor judgment.



Yes, we live in a hyper news environment. Which is why if you don't want news to come out, you don't start it.



As much as the fans may grumble about "inaction" they will grumble more should we lose Saturday. Football is about winning games and TH did not optimize for winning on Sat.



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Reasonable minds see this differently. If he would have said that he was focused on the bowl game and said nothing further, it would have been 3 seconds before someone in the media began talking about Nero playig the fiddle while Rome burned. Others would have said "he said "primary" so there is a focus on who the andidates are goignto be,and Boom the speculation machine takes off on its own. Recruits would then say "BYU doesn't care about next year or my four years there" and it wold have been abigger fiasco than it is now.